Anthony DiBona
Week five is in the rear view mirror for the Philadelphia Eagles and the rest of their division rivals in the NFC East. So where does each team currently stand in the division and what should you look for this upcoming week? I’ve got you covered in this week’s NFC East Report for the sixth week of the regular season!
Standings
There’s a new team atop the NFC East this week after the New York Giants defeated the struggling San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. The Philadelphia Eagles got their second win of the season in dominant fashion over the New Orleans Saints. While the Dallas Cowboys were embarrassed by the New England Patriots and the Washington Redskins choked in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons. That being said, let’s get right into where every team in the NFC East stands this week!
New York Giants (3-2)
While many would hate to admit it, Eli Manning is playing out of his mind right now. Honestly, he’s playing like one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks at the moment. Manning is coming off a fantastic performance against the Niners…exactly, the Niners. It’ll be interesting to see how well Manning plays this week against one of the hottest defenses in the NFL.
That’s right, the Philadelphia Eagles have one of the best defenses in the NFL right now. The best player on Philadelphia’s “D” is defensive end Fletcher Cox, who’s coming off a three sack performance against the Saints. Considering how weak the interior of Big Blue’s offensive line is, it’ll be interesting to see how they try and handle big Cox (pun completely intended) on Monday night.
Next Game: @ Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, October 19th, 8:30 PM EST
Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
Sorry to say this ladies and gentlemen, but the Brandon Weeden show has come to an end. Ed Werder of ESPN reported that the Cowboys have decided to start Matt Cassel at quarterback once they return from their bye week. Apparently players on the team are excited about the switch at quarterback…although, I’m not entirely sure why they would be excited. That’s what life without Tony Romo does to you, I guess.
Cowboys believe Matt Cassel provides the spark they need & gives them the best chance to win http://t.co/c3eBrtBs8X pic.twitter.com/fp09rP3xoQ
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 14, 2015
But in all seriousness, the Cowboys don’t really have a choice. Weeden struggles to move the offense and put points on the board…which is kinda his job. Anyway, the Cowboys really need Tony Romo and Dez Bryant back ASAP, otherwise they’ll free fall right out of the race for first place in the NFC East.
Next Game: BYE
Washington Redskins (2-3)
I’m not going to lie, the Redskins surprised the hell out of me last week. I thought they’d get demolished by the Falcons in the dirty south. But that wasn’t the case at all, Washington scrapped their way to overtime on the road and ultimately fell short…literally. Ryan Grant fell while running a route in overtime which resulted in Kirk Cousins literally throwing the game away, as he threw a pick six to the Falcons.
This week the Redskins will face another tough test against the New York Jets in MetLife Stadium. It should be a defensive battle but the Jets might just be too stacked up front for Washington to deal with. Sheldon Richardson returns from his suspension this week and he’ll add to an already scary defensive front for the Jets. But who knows? There’s a chance the Redskins pull out the unlikely victory as they have already done twice this season.
Next Game: @ New York Jets, Sunday, October 18th, 1:00 PM EST
Philadelphia Eagles (2-3)
Who would have thought a shower speech was all the Eagles needed to get going? In case you didn’t hear or read about it already, Sam Bradford apparently gathered the offense in the team’s showers prior to their game last week against the Saints for a bit of a pep talk. Sure enough, the offense came out firing on all cylinders and put together their best performance of the season. But will they carry their momentum into this week in a crucial game against the Giants?
That remains to be seen but once again the Eagles are facing a “must-win” game. Considering the state of the NFC East, the Eagles would be tied for first place in the division with a primetime victory over the G-Men. Although they’ll have their hands full with one of the league’s hottest quarterbacks in Eli Manning. As well as one of the best rushing defenses in the NFL. Luckily the Eagles will be donning their all-black uniforms on Monday night and we all know what happened last time they wore those uniforms against the Giants. *cough* 27-0! *cough*
Next Game: vs. New York Giants, Monday, October 19th, 8:30 PM EST
That’s all for my NFC East report for Week 6, be sure to check back here at PhillyInfluencer.com for all of the latest news regarding your beloved Birds and everything else happening in Philadelphia!